Crispy Parmesan Fish Sticks w/Tasty Tartar Sauce

Aside from the local seafood bars found near the beach, I have found it very difficult to find really good fish sticks.When I was a child my mom would frequently serve us the frozen brand of fish sticks with French fries.While I loved that meal as a child, my tastes have matured since then and I now prefer my fish sticks to be made fresh.

And while I can certainly order battered fish from many restaurants I have found few that meet the mark. Most seem to have more batter than actual fish and quite frankly, just don’t taste that good.

So my son, Josh and I spent a few hours in the kitchen experimenting with various ingredients and have created a wonderful recipe that is sure to please most any fish lover.It has a really crispy crust, yet it doesn’t overshadow the taste of the fish.To go with it we’ve also come up with an amazing Tartar sauce that compliments the fish sticks perfectly.Enjoy!

You will need…

5-6 C Canola oil

1 lb cod cut into strips about 2inch wide

1 large egg, beaten

¼ C buttermilk

1 C panko breadcrumbs

¼ C fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 C flour

¼ tsp table salt

¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

Heat a large frying pan over medium temperature and pour in oil. Bring the oil temperature to 375 before adding fish.

Next you’ll need 3 medium-sized bowls, placing the egg whisked together with the buttermilk in one, the flour, salt and pepper in another and the bread crumbs with parmesan in the last bowl. Roll each piece of fish into the flour, dip into the buttermilk mixture and then roll in the crumbs, making sure to fully coat each piece during each step.

Place the fish sticks into the hot oil and fry for 1-2 minutes on all sides until nicely browned.When the fish sticks are done remove from the pan, lightly season with salt and place on a cookie sheet lined with a fitted rack.

Then while they’re hot place the fish sticks on a plate with some Tartar sauce on the side and prepare to dip and enjoy!

Tartar Sauce

You will need…

2 Tbsp jalapeno, finely minced

1 small clove garlic, finely minced

3 Tbsp finely minced onion

½ C chopped cilantro

¼ C lime juice

1 ¼ C Mayonnaise

¼ tsp salt

1/3 C finely chopped sweet gerkins + 2 1/2 Tbsp of the gerkin juice

Directions: Mix together all ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. And refrigerate for 30 minutes. This sauce does have some heat from the jalapeno, but you can control that by opting not to include the ribs and seeds or eliminating it all together. I happen to like a little heat, but this recipe will taste just as delicious without it.